Many types of services are delivered to homes through conduits installed in relatively shallow underground trenches. These include telephone, television, natural gas, electricity, and drainage. These utilities are often installed with a plow. FIG. 1 illustrates an example installation of a utility 20 with a prior art plowing process. A plow 30 is attached to a prime mover, typically a tractor 10. The tractor 10 propels the plow through the ground. The plow 10 is relatively narrow and will split the ground open with a sharpened steel blade. The utility line 20 is introduced into the ground through a chute 40 that is attached to and directly behind the blade. The chute 40 holds the ground open as the utility line 20 is being fed into the desired vertical position and places the utility line 20 into a horizontal position at the desired depth under ground.
An alternate configuration is illustrated in FIG. 2 where the utility line 20 is laid out on the ground behind its intended position and then the plow 30 is connected to one end. The plow is then pulled through the ground in order to pull the utility line 20 into the correct position. In this configuration there is no chute.
Depending on the desired depth, size of utility line, and the ground (soil) conditions (clay, sand, loam, etc.). This process may be slow and require a large amount of power from the tractor 10 to pull the blade/chute through the ground. To reduce this loading various efforts have been made to inject liquid to the plow and to the utility being installed to wet the ground.
In some past designs the liquid was water, ejected in the direction of travel of the plow blade, and at the edge of the plow blade, utilizing the water to assist in the cutting action required to slice the ground.
In other designs, useful for applications as illustrated in FIG. 2, the liquid has been water directed to the area around the utility line being pulled through the ground to lubricate and reduce the frictional drag.
In still other designs water has been directed through long holes 36 drilled into the blade 34 of the plow 30. Additional cross-drilled holes threaded to accept cooperating nozzles 38 are drilled near front edge 32, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Water was then pumped into inlet fitting 37 to route water to the sides of the plow. This design has proven successful as the lubrication provided by the water significantly reduces the power necessary to pull the plow. However this requires complicated manufacturing processes, with the result that a wear item, the blade, becomes a relatively expensive component. There exists a need for a blade to provide this water distribution in a manner, that is less expensive to initially manufacture and to maintain.